Canada totaled four medals during the day. William Dandjinou and Steven Dubois won silver in the 1500m and 500m, respectively, while the Canadians won the relay.
Blais covered the distance in one minute 29.678 seconds to beat Dutchwoman Xandra Velzeboer (1:29.717) by a few hundredths of a second. This is his third individual medal on the circuit, previously called the World Cup, after silver in the 1000m and bronze in the 1500m last year in Montreal.
“This gold medal is truly incredible! exclaimed Blais, according to a press release from Speed Skating Canada. The level is extremely high this year so I didn’t necessarily have the feeling that it was going to happen straight away. It’s really cool to realize that I have what it takes to be the best, and I’m excited for the rest of the weekend and the season.”
Courtney Sarault was back on the Canadian team after suffering a concussion last season. Florence Brunelle, Kim Boutin, Blais and her joined forces to beat South Korea and Kazakhstan in the women’s relay.
Among the men, Dandjinou (2:16.808), leader in the crystal globe ranking, only conceded 32 thousandths of a second to South Korean Park Jiwon (2:16.776) at the end of the 1500 m. China’s Sun Long (2:17.186) completed the podium.
Dubois (40.289) was the second to cross the finish line in the 500 m, behind Long (40.155) and in front of the Chinese Liu Shaoang (40.342). Dubois also has a new national record (39.823) during the quarter-finals on Friday.
This stopover on the world circuit will conclude on Sunday with the mixed relay, the 1500m and 500m for women, as well as the 1000m and the relay for men.
Canada
